A break from fighting games, today I will cover Tenchu Z, which is one of these games I find very interesting conceptually. So I could not help but giving it a try. At first, I was very impressed, but then the enthusiasm faded out as I moved on along missions. Here is my review.
Gameplay
In Tenchu Z, you play a ninja assassin in ancient Japan. Thus, you have access to ninja equipments which can prove useful during your missions. Tools like the wall climber is the most used one as stealth is the key to progress. In the same fashion as in Metal Gear Solid, you resort to infiltration techniques to carry out your missions (spying, hostage rescue, assassinations...). Since you cannot really knock on the door to ask the guards to let you in, you will have to find your way around. Climbing wall is the easiest one, taking out guards one by one silently is another and charging in like a mad man works as well though it hurts your stealth bonus points (obviously). In Tenchu, you certainly do not want to be seen or heard, but also smelled (if you played in the mud), in which case you have to use items to wash yourself, walk in the water or wait until it wears off. To eliminate samurai guards, the most efficient way, as you can guess, is the stealth kill (including stabbing through paper walls) but it can also be done through dueling. However, unless you previously cleaned the area already, you're bound to be surrounded by doing so. Also, you do not want to leave a dead body in the open area, so you will move it to somewhere dark.
 |
| Poor guy who did not understand what happened to him... |
As you progress, your ninja will learn new skills, making your more versatile and giving you more options while you carry your ominious duties. One of these, for example, is the ability to "stick" on the ceiling, just as Spiderman would. Below is a video demonstrating how to eliminate your target after crawling under the ceiling.
Immersion
The story takes place in ancient Japan and, as such, you get to go around in villages and fortresses of the feudal era. After climbing walls and rooftops, you may jump from one roof to another to progress (usually quicker) and enjoy the sight. The cutscenes and voice are entirely in Japanese, with English texts and subtitles of course. Definitely an immersive experience for those are interested in the Japanese culture, as I am.
 |
| Ninjas do mission in daytime too.... |
Things I have not tried
I have not played the co-op mode but it looks really cool. You partner with another ninja and cooperate to accomplish the mission. An example of collaboration : one of the player grabs and hold an enemy while the other finishes him. Again, a very interesting concept that gives way to plenty of combinations and strategies.
 |
| Co-op mode |
My regrets
My deep regret about this game is the dreadful feeling of "it could have been so much better". As I mentioned earlier, the concepts were great, the potential to do something awesome was there. In the end, it leaves a bitter taste of a half-hearted game. Make no mistake, the game is really fun to play. However, you are bound to get bored of it fairly quickly. Stealth kills are fun for a while, but you end up repeating pretty much the same actions : roll in the dark, get behind, stab, Next ! The missions, although quite varied, will take place on the same maps over an over (e.g : you will play on the same maps several times, with the target to assassinate (or hostage to rescue) sitting in a different building). This makes the game awfully more repetitive than it already was. You know the map already means : you know which walls to climb, where to hide, crawl, etc. Of course, you are free to try out new things, but I do not always have the time to mess around.
Final Thoughts
In a nutshell, an immersive experience into ancient Japan, a game with great ideas and concepts, but the potential remains largely untapped in my opinion. The repetitiveness is the biggest downside. Fun to play, but not for very long. I stopped around mission 30 or so, that's less than 40% in the overall progress.
0 Yorumlar